1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns remote automobile starters and more specifically remote starters having improved diagnostic, security and safety features.
2. Discussion of the Background
There are currently several remote automobile starter units on the market. Each of these products allows the user to start an automobile by remote control. Several of these remote automobile starter units also offer a number of safety features. For example, some units cut off after the engine runs for 10 minutes or if the hood is opened before the key is put in the ignition.
The remote automobile starters currently on the market, however, suffer from various drawbacks. One such drawback stems from the complexity in installing such units. Remote automobile starters need to be hooked up to a large number of wires in a variety of different locations under the dash and under the hood of the car. The color of each wire is different from car to car--and even from year to year with the same make and model of the car. This complexity means that remote automobile starters require a substantial amount of professional installation time and expertise for correct installation. Generally speaking, the more features a unit has, and the more safety guards it has, the more complicated and expensive the installation project becomes. When an installer puts any unit with the complexity of a remote automobile starter into a car, the chance for error or confusion in the installation is great. Remote automobile starters contain from 8 to 15 wires which must be integrated with the wiring of the car. Additional wiring, extra fuses, tach sensing devices, relays and often a separate remote control radio receiver unit must also be installed. Each car's wiring system and wiring colors are unique, so it is difficult for even the most experienced installers to be sure that the unit is being installed correctly.
Commonly, an installation of a remote automobile starter will take several hours. Also commonly, at the end of this time, the installer will push the "start button" only to find that nothing happens, or maybe that the wrong thing happens. At this point all the wires must be rechecked. This can take considerable time, since the installer usually doesn't know where to start looking for the problem. If the unit still does not function properly after the wiring is rechecked, the installer will not know for sure if one of the unit components is defective or if the installation job is incorrect.
Another problem with remote automobile starters is ensuring that the vehicle is not driven away by an unauthorized driver after it has been remotely started. One way of preventing the vehicle from being driven away once it has been started, is to determine if the vehicle is being taken out of park without the key in the ignition. When this occurs, the unit can be shut down immediately. The remote automobile starters currently on the market utilize the "neutral safety switch" of an automatic transmission to provide this security feature. This "neutral safety switch" is a switch which is connected in series with the starter wire and which functions to physically disconnect the wire behind the key switch area from the starter motor when the car is put into any gear. Thus, this "neutral safety switch" is only closed (to allow current to pass) when the car is in park. Hooking up to this "neutral safety switch" is very time consuming and difficult since the "neutral safety switch" is often not easily accessible.
Another drawback of the remote automobile starters currently on the market is that they cannot prevent their units from being installed in automobiles with manual transmissions. A fear of all manufacturers of remote automobile starters is that a customer will install the unit in a manual transmission car. If the user leaves the car in gear, then the car will lurch forward or backward the next time it is started remotely. No manufacturer has, up to this point, developed a satisfactory method for rendering the remote automobile starter unit inoperable when placed into a manual transmission car.